Princess Mononoke Fan Fiction ❯ A Reason to Let Go ❯ Chapter 2

A Reason to Let Go

by tbossjenn

Part Two

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San slowly put her daughter down. Without taking her eyes off the demon, she said, "Go hide, Moro. Now." The girl ran off, and San tightened her grip on the newly sharpened dagger.

"She's a pretty little girl. Won't you introduce me to her?"

His words filled San with a sick dread. "I won't let you hurt her," she said coldly.

"Of course you won't." His voice was soft, but sharp. San realized that he must be very young, no more than a boy. Raising the dagger, she growled in defiance and charged the demon. The creature was too fast - he stepped aside and struck back at her with a harsh laugh. San cried out as she felt the edge of his blade graze her arm. Usually the wolf girl had the advantage of speed and strength, but not this time. She feared this young man would prove to be more than a match for her.

She glanced at her arm - the wound was bleeding but it wasn't bad. The demon lunged at her again, but only half heartedly. He jumped away as she tried to counterattack. "Fight, damn you!" she shouted.

"I don't want to tire you out, dear. I like playing with you too much." He lowered his sword and stood very still, looking at her. "So you are Ashitaka's wife. When I'm done here, your husband will be mine." Shimmering tendrils appeared and began to writhe about his body.

"No!" Oh, gods, this thing wants to kill my Ashitaka! It'll kill him and it'll kill Moro if I don't stop it! She leapt at the demon so fast that she caught him off guard. Knocking him to the floor, she caught a flicker of surprise and fear in his eyes. Before San could drive her blade into his throat, the demon blocked it and the dagger plunged into his shoulder instead. Shrieking in pain, he threw her aside as if she were one of Moro's dolls. The demon leaped to his feet and kicked her hard in the stomach.

San gasped and doubled over in agony but managed to stay upright. Raising the bloodstained dagger, she silently challenged the demon to attack her again. He stared back her, breathing heavily and clutching the shoulder that was bleeding badly. Then he slowly backed away and disappeared out the door.

San stood there for several long moments before sinking to the floor, coughing.

"Mother?" She looked up and saw Moro standing above her, her face pale with fear. The girl took one look at her injured mother and began to cry.

"Oh, love, don't cry. Please? I'm all right." She painfully drew her daughter into a small hug.

"But you're bleeding!"

"I'm all right, Moro. I just have to rest for a bit, then we have to leave."

"Where are we going?" Moro asked in a small, frightened voice.

"We have to find your father."

* * *

"San, this is crazy. You're in no shape to go anywhere." Toki was lecturing San as the wolf girl gathered food from the kitchen.

"I've rested long enough Toki, and I thank you for letting me stay, but I have to find Ashitaka. He's already a couple of days ahead of me."

"He can take care of himself."

"Not against that thing."

Toki sighed. "All right. I'll take good care of Moro while you're gone."

"She's coming with me."

Toki gently took a hold of her friend's arm. "You can't drag that child with you, it's too dangerous."

"I'm the only one who can protect her. I'm not leaving her." San pulled on the wolf headdress and then went outside where Moro and the wolves were waiting for her. As the Wolf Clan went off in search of Ashitaka, Toki called out, "Be careful!"

A dozen thoughts ran through San's mind. She wondered why the demon hadn't killed her. Even though he was wounded he still should have been strong enough to finish her. San remembered when the demon power had manifested from Ashitaka's arm. He had been able to open the heavy gate of Iron Town despite having been shot clean through the stomach. San had put up a good front after the demon kicked her, but she had barely managed to stay on her feet. She should be dead, but the demon had left her alone. Perhaps his curse didn't give him the temporary protection from pain that Ashitaka's had. If the demon was truly wounded, then San had a better chance of being the first one to find Ashitaka.

Your husband will be mine ...

Those words still frightened San, and they reminded her of what they were dealing with. Demons were mysterious creatures and the nature of their powers varied, but they were all driven by a relentless hatred and rage. This young man's vengeance would not be satisfied by killing San and her family, maybe not even by killing Lady Eboshi.

San could be wrong about the demon. Maybe he wasn't really injured and had already left to find her husband. Toki had made her rest and see a healer in Iron Town, forcing her to lose precious time. The demon was probably hours ahead of her - he could have already found and killed Ashitaka by now, gods know how fast the creature could actually move across land. San would find Ashitaka dead ...

Moro whimpered and squirmed in her arms, and San realized she was squeezing the girl. She loosened her grip and whispered she was sorry. San was also afraid for her daughter - had she made a mistake in bringing Moro with her? No... the demon could still be in Iron Town. Moro would have been easy prey if she stayed there.

San would protect them both.

* * *

For days, the wolves tracked Ashitaka all the way to the lands surrounding Taira, where they were stopped by samurai horsemen. The wolves growled, but San quietly ordered them to stay calm. She slid down from her brother's back and approached the men with Moro at her side.

"Stop there, demon!"

"It's all right," she said cautiously. "I'm not a demon."

"You can't be human."

"My name is San - the Lady Eboshi knows me. I'm looking for my husband, Ashitaka. Have you seen him? Please tell me if you have," she said desperately.

"You're the demon, you have to be!" the warrior shouted, grabbing an arrow and notching it to his bow. The wolves snarled and leaped at the samurai, startling their horses.

A stern voice ordered the men to stop, and a tall man quickly rode toward them. "What's going on here? My orders did not include killing women and children." It was Lord Kei, Eboshi's husband.

"My lord, we've found the demon. She has bewitched these wolves into helping her!"

Kei looked at San and laughed. "She's no demon - she is the Princess Mononoke, goddess of the spirits. Don't you know that? You will not harm her, she is my guest." Riding over to San, he said, "It is good to see you, lovely spirit. I see you finally brought your daughter to visit us."

San couldn't help but smile back. "I'm glad to see you too, Lord Kei. Where is Ashitaka?"

When she first saw him, she could only look at him in disbelief. Ashitaka was alive - she could hardly believe it. Then she was running towards him, grabbing onto him and holding him close to her.

"San?" His voice was full of pleasure. Putting his arms around her, he whispered, "We've only been apart for a week. You missed me this much?" He realized San was still clutching him tightly against her, and he gently drew back from her. A look of shock passed over his face as he saw her bruises. "What happened to you?"

She held his gaze and said, "The demon attacked us after you left."

The color drained from his face. "Are you all right? Moro, is she - "

"She's fine."

Ashitaka held her close and said, "Thank the gods. I can't believe I almost lost you both."

"You haven't, love. You'll never lose us," she reassured him, settling into the embrace. They were together now, and everything would somehow be all right.

"You can't promise me that, can you?" he replied softly, echoing her own words. "I shouldn't have left you, this is my fault."

"No it's not, Ashitaka. No one can know what that thing will do."

"I should have been there," he insisted, turning away from her.

"Stop this," San said gently. "It's no one's fault. We have more important things to worry about now. I wounded the demon, but he's still out there."

Just then, Moro ran up and threw her arms around his legs. "Father, it's you! I thought we'd never find you."

"I'm glad to see you too, Moro," he said, picking her up. As he stroked her hair, he gave San a hard, questioning look. Ashitaka put Moro down and told her to go play. Turning to San, he asked, "What were you thinking, bringing her with you? She's in danger here."

"I had to, I'm the only one who can protect her."

"The demon doesn't care about Moro, he's after Eboshi and probably me as well. I'm the one who challenged him the other night."

"He was there for us, Ashitaka. The demon knew you were gone. He was going to kill me and Moro, and then he was going to come after you. He told me." San answered. "He's after all of us now."

Ashitaka was still angry. "No, you must be wrong, San."

Lord Kei approached them. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but my wife would like to see San."

The wolf girl shook her head. "Now this will be a happy reunion." She abandoned her argument with her husband and followed Lord Kei.

Watching her walk away, Ashitaka heard his daughter's laughter echo off the walls of Taira.

For the first time he began to truly fear the demon.

* * *

The Lady Eboshi lay propped up in bed, very pregnant and surrounded by servants. She shooed them away when she saw her visitor. "You look exactly the same, San. I'm sorry the circumstances couldn't be better."

"You're a bad omen," San replied crossly. "Nothing good has ever come from knowing you."

The lady laughed and said, "I have missed fighting with you. Kei and Ashitaka insisted that I stay in locked away in this room. I'm so bored, you have no idea."

"Maybe the demon will fix that," San shot back.

Eboshi's face hardened, and she placed a protective hand on her belly. "Don't say anything like that to me again."

San looked away and said nothing.

The lady sank back down into the blankets with a tired sigh. "Please forgive my rudeness. These past several days have not been easy. I know this must very hard for you - protecting your enemy like this."

"I'm here to protect my family."

"That's good, I'm glad you watch over each other. It's the same way with Kei and I - that's why I've been locked away in this dreadful room. I used to be able to take care of myself, but it's difficult now that I'm carrying a child." She smiled affectionately at her stomach. "In the past I never gave any thought to having children. I wish had, because now my lack of foresight has put my son in danger. And the worst part is that I can't do anything to protect him."

"You're sure it will be a boy?"

"Yes," Eboshi replied. "And I heard you have a daughter. What's her name?"

"Moro."

The lady smiled sadly and said, "Lovely name."

* * *

Leaving Moro safe in the care of some servants, Ashitaka went looking for San. She was standing on the city wall, gazing at the sun as it sank below the horizon. A light breeze ruffled the fur of her wolf cloak and rattled the claws she wore at her throat. San was dressed for battle, but Ashitaka didn't want her fight to be with him. He slowly approached his young wife, never taking his eyes off her. The sun cast a pale, golden glow upon her.

She ignored him and continued to stare out over the countryside, but he could tell she knew he was there. Ashitaka stepped up close beside her and said nothing for awhile, content to watch the sunset with her. Finally, he remarked, "This is the part when I say the beauty of the sunset could never be compared to your own."

"But that's not what you're going to say?" she asked curiously.

"I've come to say I'm sorry, San."

She turned to him slightly and slipped her hand in his. "You have nothing to be sorry for. Moro is your daughter as much as she is mine. You have every right to question my decisions for her." With a sigh, she added, "You might even be right."

"No, she is better off with us. We don't know what the demon really wants - you were right to bring her with you." Ashitaka held her close, pressing his cheek against her soft hair. With a little sigh, San nestled herself into his arms. They both took a great deal of comfort from simply being together.

Ashitaka looked at her and was surprised. "San, you're crying?"

She smiled and leaned back into his chest, listening to his heart beating strongly against her ear. "The entire time we were looking for you, I thought you might be dead. When we got here I had convinced myself you were, and then I saw you ..." San looked up and began to caress his face, tracing the contours she already knew so well.

Ashitaka raised her hands to his lips and kissed the slender fingers, his dark eyes searching hers. Needing further proof of his existence, San reached up and drew him into a long, lingering kiss.

"I am alive, San," he whispered, holding her close. "And you know what else?"

"What?"

"The beauty of the sunset could never be compared to your own."

San laughed and he kissed her. Ashitaka wanted so badly to stay with her like this, wanted to go home and forget about the demon. All he had ever wanted was San and Moro - he had never known such richness could exist before he had them. He held San tight and tried to squash down the thought that the demon could have taken his love and his daughter away from him and could still do so.

But then San stiffened in his arms and sniffed the air. Peering out over the wall, she scanned the forest beyond the city. "He's here," she muttered.

Ashitaka drew his sword. "Can you see him?"

"No, but I'm picking up his scent from that direction," she answered, pointing. As Ashitaka started to go warn Kei, San grabbed his arm and growled, "Don't do anything stupid, or I'll kill you!"

Ashitaka smiled and said, "I love you too!" before climbing down the ladder.

He quickly found Lord Kei, and taking him aside he said, "The demon is here."

The lord's face became grim. "I have my best men guarding Eboshi. The monster won't touch her."

Then they heard screams, and they watched in horror as one of the nearby buildings went up in flames.

"There are people in there! Come and help me, Ashitaka!" Kei shouted.

The young warrior knew this was exactly what the demon wanted. He called out to San and told her to find Eboshi. As he followed Lord Kei, he hoped the wolf girl wouldn't be too late.

* * *

The alarm bell rang loudly outside. Eboshi sat in a chair, her hand gripping a sharp knife. She knew that if it came down to just her and the demon, then there would be no contest. Still, just holding the knife made the lady feel better. Her guards stood tense and ready, but Eboshi wondered if they could truly hold off a demon.

She soon found herself fidgeting with impatience. During a war she had always placed herself at the front line, and she used to love these tense moments before a battle. Now she felt sick from the waiting, and from the fear. Eboshi knew very well that she deserved whatever fate the demon had planned for her, but her innocent child did not.

Then the doors crashed in with a sharp cracking sound - they were practically torn down, Eboshi realized. The demon stood there, clothed in black and his face covered with a mask. A quick memory popped into her head: that of Ashitaka standing before her - masked and wearing a strange costume. The guards certainly tried their best, but they all failed against this rather small person. The demon sliced through them with an easy grace that Eboshi couldn't help but admire. Then the demon came for her, and she remembered her own danger.

"No! Stay away!" Eboshi ordered, and her command was so powerful the demon actually hesitated before advancing towards her. Trying to back away, the lady slashed at him with her knife but he easily knocked it out of her hand. She gazed at him in cold defiance, but inwardly she was already defeated. For the first time in her life, the Lady Eboshi felt she had completely failed. What was worse, she had failed not her petty ambition but her own unborn son.

Eboshi waited for the demon to kill her, but instead he was looking down at her swollen belly. He reached out and touched it, then looked up at her and said, "After."

Shouts were echoing outside in the courtyard, and the demon quickly turned and fled.

Moments later, San ran in and shouted, "Where did it go?" The girl looked so fierce that Eboshi thought she looked more frightening than the demon.

"Through there." The lady pointed towards the door, and San quickly went after it.

Shaking, Eboshi sat down on the bed and crooned softly to her baby while knowing she was really singing for her own benefit. The song was something her mother used to sing to her a long time ago.

"Eboshi, are you all right?!"

She looked up and saw her husband standing before her, his face blackened and sweaty and his sword drawn. Kei was breathing heavily, and he looked both anxious and overjoyed to see her. Eboshi suddenly realized, to her own surprise, that she truly did love this man. "I'm fine, but you're late," she said sharply.

He breathed a sigh of relief, his face lighting up in a huge smile. Kneeling beside the bed, he said, "There was a fire. Ashitaka sent San to find you. Thank the gods you're safe!"

"Where is San?" Ashitaka was standing in the doorway.

"She went after the demon," Eboshi answered.

The young man's face became pale, and he quickly went outside and whistled for Yakkul.

"Ashitaka, you won't be able to find her in the dark!" Kei called after him.

Ashitaka didn't answer him. The warrior jumped onto the elk's back and the pair disappeared into the night.

to be continued